


A Match Made in Mystery

by Lush_Specimen



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Matchmaking, Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-07-23 15:15:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16161515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lush_Specimen/pseuds/Lush_Specimen
Summary: Chromedome and Rewind are so happy in their relationship that they want all their friends to find love too. They become such notorious matchmakers that everyone starts to avoid all of their obvious setups. Not to be denied, they create more complicated and convoluted scenarios to get bots together.





	1. Nightbeat and Riptide

**Author's Note:**

> It was a fun challenge to write characters that I don't usually use. Right now this is a short stand alone piece, but I feel like it has the potential for a fun series! We'll see where the inspiration takes it.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chromedome is worried about Nightbeat spending so much time alone in his room and Rewind recently discovered that Riptide goes for a daily swim in the oil reservoir all by himself. Finally, something that they can work with!

“Come on! Hurry!” Rewind dragged Nightbeat down the long corridor to Lost Light’s oil reservoir. 

“I am trying,” the Nightbeat complained, tripping over his own feet in a failed attempt to keep up. “I WAS in the middle of something you know.” 

“Yeah, right,” Rewind scoffed. “Pouring over ancient data files alone in the dark. Real important stuff, I’m sure. I have an actual mystery on my hands here!” 

“I agreed to come, didn’t I?” 

Rewind ignored Nightbeat’s continuous whining as the door to the oil reservoir hissed open and he tugged him over to the edge of the tranquil black pool. Stars sparkled through the large skylights, creating shimmering reflections in the oil’s iridescent sheen. 

“As you can see,” Rewind began, gesturing to the blanket spread out on the shore with a delightful assortment of energon goodies and a bottle of triple distilled Camien engex, “I was in the middle of setting up a date-night picnic for Domey and me.” 

“Don’t see why that involves disturbing me.” 

“If you would let me finish, you might find out!” Rewind threw his arms up in exasperation. “As I was saying, I was setting up when I noticed something swimming in the oil. I got some grainy footage, not my best work, but it took me by surprise.” 

Rewind projected a few seconds of shaky video on the wall. Something could clearly be seen moving around in the oil, leaving a large wake before diving under. Just before the creature disappeared a shark fin-like appendage breached the surface. 

“Whoa! Play it again!” Nightbeat leaned closer to carefully study the images and plopped down on the ground to run some comparisons with his creature database. 

“Hmm,” Rewind inspected the oil spattered picnic blanket. “I think some of the energon goodies that I made are missing too. It’s a little-known fact, but I am an expert confectioner,” he added proudly. 

“I take back being so dismissive earlier. This footage is pretty amazing! I have similar images of something called the Loch Ness Monster currently eluding study on Earth. However, the fin bears more than a passing resemblance to a sharkticon.” He got up to investigate the oil splash pattern on the picnic blanket, jotting down a few measurements into his datapad. 

“So?” Rewind asked. “What do you think?” 

“I need more information. Solving mysteries hinges on the strength of your data, and we are extremely short on facts. We know that Drift bought this ship for Rodimus from a couple of shady neutrals, but we don’t really know anything else about the Lost Light’s history.” Nightbeat got down on his hands and knees and peered into the inky depths. “Judging from all the evidence to date, I think it is safe to say that there is something quite large, and possibly quite dangerous, swimming around in there.” 

Suddenly a huge wave erupted right at the edge of the pool. Something vaulted out of the oil and crashed directly into Nightbeat. As he tumbled backwards, his screams were drowned out by those of the creature that bowled him over and clung tight to him. 

“THERE’S MONSTERS IN THERE?! Why didn’t anyone tell me? I swim in there all alone every day!” 

“Riptide!” Rewind exclaimed. 

“What?” the shark boat looked up from where he clung to Nightbeat, gold optics wide with terror. 

“Well that’s one mystery solved,” Nightbeat grumbled as he attempted to disentangle himself from Riptide and flick some of the oil from his cobalt armor. 

“What’s going on?” Riptide asked, nervously glancing over his shoulder at the oil reservoir, still wrapped around Nightbeat’s arm. 

“I think YOU are the monster,” Rewind explained. 

“Wow, rude!” 

“It’s not like that,” Nightbeat laughed. “Rewind took some footage of something swimming around out there, and it turned out to be you.” 

“Oooh... Well then that’s okay I guess,” Riptide nodded and flashed a fanged grin. “There’s never much call for boats in space so I feel kinda pointless a lot of times. I was super happy to discover the ship had somewhere that I could swim. Sorry I ruined you picnic, Rewind. I only ate the blue energon goodies, they’re my favorite!” 

“Mine too!” Nightbeat piped up. “You know, I’ve always wanted to learn to swim. Until we actually find some clues regarding the Knights of Cybertron, there’s not much for me to do either.” 

“Really?!” Riptide gushed. “I know how to swim. I could totally teach you!” 

“You know what? You two can have the picnic. Consider it a gift for a mystery solved.” Rewind quickly headed for the door with a wave. 

“Are you sure?” Nightbeat mumbled. His mouth already full of blue energon goodies as he and Riptide divided the rest.

“Don’t worry about it,” Rewind laughed. “Enjoy!” 

As Rewind left the oil reservoir, he found Chromedome leaning against the outside of the doorframe. 

“Hey there, handsome! Come here often?” Rewind playfully elbowed him.

“Come‘re you!” Chromedome chuckled and scooped up Rewind in a warm hug. “So,” he asked as Rewind settled in on his shoulders, “how’d it go? 

“Better than we could have planned! They both like blue energon goodies.” 

“Not exactly the strongest foundation to build a relationship on.” 

“No,” Rewind shrugged, “but it’s a start. You gotta have something in common, even if it’s just a favorite candy.” 

“Thanks for helping out with this,” Chromedome nuzzled his head against Rewind’s chest. “I knew Nightbeat wouldn’t have come if I asked. He’s been by himself for so long I don’t think he realizes that he’s lonely, and poor Riptide...” 

“...Is just so awkward.” 

“You know I love it when you finish my sentences!”

A loud splash echoed down the hall followed by raucous laughter. Chromedome and Rewind gazed into each other’s optics and smiled, another job well done.

“So what should we do to celebrate?” Chromedome laughed.

“We are going to Visages and have Mirage make us the stupidest fanciest drinks on the menu! I want one with an umbrella! It’s poetry night so we’ll practically have the place to ourselves.” 

“You know, Megatron’s gonna think we’re his biggest fans if we show up for every poetry night.” 

“Technically, Ultra Magnus is his ‘biggest’ fan,” Rewind snickered. “He’s the only other one that always comes. Maybe we should try to fix them up next.”

“Pfft!” Chromedome scoffed. “You want to set up the most brutal tyrant in the history of the universe with the most legendary law enforcement officer that ever lived?”

“Why not?” Rewind laughed. “You know I love a challenge!”


	2. MiniMegs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chromedome and Rewind take on the challenge of providing a situation for Ultra Magnus and Megatron to talk to each other. They reach deep into their arsenal, utilizing friendly banter, mischievous pranks, and their secret weapon, Rewind's collection of vintage Backstreet Boys CDs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter in Chromedome and Rewind's matchmaking efforts, Inspired by the comments on chapter 1!
> 
> Ultra Magnus loves singing Backstreet Boys songs is one of my favorite head canons.

“This is never gonna work,” Chromedome whispered as he and Rewind crouched behind a stack of boxes in the corner of one of the Lost Light’s many empty hallways. 

“Sure it will!” Rewind chided. “Why are you whispering anyways? No one’s around.” 

“Just in case,” Chromedome continued to whisper. “After all, it’s really late.” 

“I know, but this is the perfect opportunity! You’ve seen the way Megatron always looks for Ultra Magnus whenever he gets up on stage. And the way Mags’ optics sparkle as he hangs on every word of Megatron’s poetry. They want to get together! All they need is a little push, a chance to actually talk to each other.” 

“I know, I know,” Chromedome chuckled as he reached for Rewind’s hand. “I just wish we could switch. I know I’m gonna say the wrong thing to Mags and end up in the brig.” 

“I’m counting on it,” Rewind snickered. 

“WHAT!?” 

“What?” Rewind echoed. 

“What did you just say?” Chromedome shouted as loudly as his whisper would permit. 

“I said, don’t worry about it,” Rewind squeezed Chromedome’s hand then playfully cuffed his shoulder. 

“I don’t know…” 

“You’ll be fine! Riptide told us he scheduled an after-hours safety inspection at Swerve’s tonight. All you have to do is talk to Mags for a few minutes to delay him enough for the timing to work out. Besides, I’m the one that needs to get Megatron. The whole thing depends on having him carry these boxes. You’re already big enough to carry them, but he’ll have to help widdle ol’ me.” Rewind threw his forearm dramatically across his face, “How will I move these boxes all by my tiny self? They’re so big and heavy! Whatever will I do?” 

“You are ridiculous,” Chromedome laughed. 

“I’m adorable and you know it,” Rewind elbowed him. 

“Damn!” Chromedome shook his head. “And you're always right too!” 

They checked their chronometers. It was time to put their plan into action. According to a full week’s worth of observations, Megatron should be just getting off of his shift on the bridge. He walked the same way to his hab suite every night. With their careful planning, he should quite literally bump into Ultra Magnus in the hall tonight. 

“Hug for good luck!” Rewind threw his arms around Chromedome’s neck. They rested their helms together for a second then sprang into action. Chromedome transformed and drove off to Ultra Magnus’ office while Rewind pushed his boxes into the center of the hall. Hearing the approach of Megatron’s heavy measured tread, Rewind busied himself making a great show out of struggling with the boxes, even though they were mostly stuffed with fluffy packing material. 

“Rewind, what are you doing?” Megatron asked as he drew near. 

“Well,” Rewind huffed like he was trying to push Omega Supreme uphill in the snow. “I have to get this music collection to Swerve’s. It was a very special request.” 

“Why don’t you just copy it all to a data slug?” Megatron asked, absolutely perplexed by finding a minibot grappling with a mountain of boxes in the middle of a deserted hallway. 

“It’s earth music, on CDs,” Rewind answered, like that made everything obvious, confounding Megatron even further. 

Megatron lingered silently, unsure of what he should do. Rewind just waited, awkwardly shoving the boxes like they contained the weight of a thousand suns. 

“Do… do you need help?” Megatron tentatively offered. 

“Do I ever! Thank you so much!!” Rewind responded brightly, talking fast before Megatron could change his mind. “A big strong bot such as yourself should have no problem with these!” Rewind quickly piled the boxes in a terribly unbalanced stack in Megatron’s arms so that he could barely see around them. “You know the way to Swerve’s right? It’s just down the hall and to the right. Oh! And the CDs are kinda delicate so be careful not to drop them. Thanks again!” 

Megatron swayed with the uneven stack of boxes. “Are you sure...” he turned to ask Rewind something only to find that he had already vanished. Grumbling something about how everyone aboard this ship shirks their responsibilities, Megatron carefully started down the hall. 

Rewind watched from the dark corner that he and Chromedome chose as their meeting place. Megatron was nearing the sharpest turn on the way to Swerve’s just as Chromedome sidled up to Rewind. 

“I loaded up Megs with the boxes. How’d your meeting with Mags go?” 

“He threatened to throw me in the brig!” Chromedome hissed. “Stopping for a friendly chat made him late for the inspection, as we planned, but apparently that is considered obstructing an officer of the law.” 

“I knew it!” Rewind snickered. “Is he on his way?” The resonant clang of Ultra Magnus hurrying down the hall from the opposite direction answered his question. 

Chromedome flattened himself back against the wall, “If he sees me, I’ll be in the brig for sure.” 

“Don’t worry,” Rewind assured him as they watched Megatron and Ultra Magnus rapidly converging on the blind corner. “He’ll forget all about you making him late in a few seconds.” 

“Yeah he will,” Chromedome’s golden visor shone with mischief, “because I brought insurance!” He produced a small ball bearing that he swiped from Brainstorm’s lab. 

“Ooo! I love it! Get in the zone, Domey!” 

“I’m always in the zone!” 

“This is serious!” Rewind whispered, dramatically shaking Chromedome by the shoulders. 

“Okay, okay!” Chromedome waved his hands around in an elaborate looping gesture. “Now I’m in the zone!” He crouched down and took aim. Just as Megatron and Ultra Magnus neared the turn from opposite directions, Chromedome rolled the ball bearing towards Megatron’s leading foot with perfect aim. Megatron stepped right on the rolling ball and his leg slipped out from beneath him. Uttering an impressive string of creative curses, he pitched forward and spun around desperately balancing the precarious stack of boxes. Rewind stifled a giggle, always finding swear words absolutely hilarious regardless of the situation, and Chromedome enveloped him in a tight hug before he burst into laughter. 

All of Megatron’s dancing efforts to remain upright were ultimately futile as he fell backwards… right into Ultra Magnus’ arms as he rounded the bend. Ultra Magnus was so shocked that the impact threw him off balance as well and they tumbled down in a heap. The manuever was so perfectly executed it took all of Chromedome and Rewind’s restraint not to give themselves a round of applause. 

“Megatron! Sir!” Ultra Magnus’ face lit up bright pink when he realized that he instinctively wrapped Megatron in a protective hug as they fell. He sat bolt upright and gently set Megatron down beside him. “I'm terribly sorry! I have an inspection scheduled at Swerve’s, for which I am late, because I was detained by an unusually talkative Chromedome.” 

At the mention of Chromedome's name, Megatron narrowed his crimson optics in suspicion and scanned the dark corners of the empty corridors. Rewind stifled a terrified squeak as he was sure they were about to be discovered. 

“Is everything alright, sir?” 

Megatron's expression softened into an easy smile. “Yes, Minimus, I am quite alright, thank you. Sorry if I startled you.” He began to gather together the scattered boxes. “I was just on my way to drop off this delivery of music recordings to Swerve's.” 

“Here, let me help. It's the least I could do.” Ultra Magnus picked up a few CDs that flew out when they fell. As he examined the tiny discs in his large hands, he vented a gasp filled with such reverence and awe that a passerby might have thought he discovered proof of Primus. “The complete ouerve of the Backstreet Boys! I've been requesting these for Swerve's for ages!” 

“What is it? Are they musicians?” Megatron leaned over Magnus’ bulky shoulders. 

“Only some of earth’s finest troubadours,” an absent-minded smile slowly spread across Magnus face. “I love to sing along with their music.” 

“You sing?” Megatron asked, genuinely intrigued. 

“Oh!” Ultra Magnus startled, like he just remembered that Megatron was still there, slight color returning to his cheeks. “Well, I sing sometimes… at Swerve's. After hours of course.” Ultra Magnus placed the CDs in the box and stood up, meticulously brushing even the possibility of dust from his immaculate blue armor. “I've always liked music and Rodimus encouraged me to try. He said it would help me rrrr…? Ree? What was the word he used?” he muttered. 

“Relax?” Megatron offered with an amused smile. 

“That's the one!” Satisfied with the condition of his armor, he reached down and easily pulled Megatron to his feet. “You know, I thought that was just another word that he made up, but it turns out to be a real concept. Can you believe it?” 

“Yes,” Megatron chuckled. “In fact, that’s why I write poetry. Pursuing a creative hobby is excellent advice. I guess Rodimus isn’t completely ridiculous.” 

“He definitely has his moments,” Ultra Magnus nodded. He handed some boxes to Megatron and carried a few himself, keeping the one filled with the Backstreet Boys albums nestled safely against his chest. “Since we both have to go to Swerve’s, I believe it would be most efficient to walk together.” 

“Hmm,” Megatron rumbled, “I believe you are correct.” They walked together in companionable silence for a few moments until Megatron overcame the uncertainty burning in his optics to ask, “Will you sing tonight?”

“Ah! Well...” Ultra Magnus stared at the box containing the precious recordings in his large arms. “I have always wanted to sing along with an original recording of “As Long as You Love Me”.” 

“Do you think...” Megatron paused to carefully reconsider his phrasing. “May I stay? And listen?” 

“Oh!” Ultra Magnus straightened up to his full impressive height with a mixture of joy and surprise. “I would be honored, sir.” Ultra Magnus shook his head and corrected himself with a slight smile, “I mean, Megatron.” 

As Ultra Magnus explained the significance of the Backstreet Boys to Megatron on their way to Swerve’s, Chromedome and Rewind took the opportunity to quietly slink away. Exhausted from their late-night shenanigans, not to mention the terror of nearly being discovered, they shuffled back to their hab suite and crashed. 

The next afternoon they stopped by Swerve’s for their traditional celebratory drink. While Chromedome placed their order with Swerve, Rewind gave Riptide a special order of energon goodies that he requested. 

“All blue! Awesome!” Riptide beamed as Rewind handed him the box of candy. “Thank you so much! Nighbeat’s gonna love these!” 

“You’re most welcome,” Rewind laughed and winked at Chromedome as he brought their drinks over. 

Riptide leaned across the bar on one elbow, lowering the volume of his vocal processor to a conspiratorial whisper. “Remember how I told you we had a safety inspection scheduled with Mags last night. Well! You will never believe what happened!” 

“Oh? Do tell!” Rewind glanced innocently at Chromedome, who nudged him with his foot under the bar. 

“So, there I was cleaning up as usual when-” 

“Hey, Sharky!” Swerve yelled from across the room, where he was overwhelmed with customers. “The drinks don’t pour themselves!” 

“Sorry! Coming!” Riptide hollered back. He turned back to Chromedome and Rewind with a toothy grin, “Stick around until business dies down a little and I’ll come back and tell you all about it! It was amazing!” 

Chromedome and Rewind gathered their drinks and settled into their favorite booth. It was slightly too small for both of their frames so they had to cuddle close to fit properly. Once they had nestled in comfortably together, Chromedome raised his glass, “To the Backstreet Boys!” 

Rewind snorted and clinked his glass against Chromedome’s, “Sure, why not! They might have sealed the deal, but we did all the heavy lifting.” 

“No,” Chromedome took a sip, “Megatron did the heavy lifting. You were so dramatic about those lightweight boxes he probably thinks you’re the weakest bot ever!” he added with a snicker. 

“Whatever,” Rewind shrugged. “My pride is not so fragile. The real question is if Riptide will sneak us into the bar after hours to listen to Mags sing one night.” 

Chromedome rested his chin on the top of Rewind’s helm, “Sounds like the perfect date night! We could-” 

Before he could finish, they were distracted by the sound of someone choking on their drink at the booth next to them. Looking over, they saw Rodimus sitting with Velocity and Nautica. 

“HIM?!” Rodimus coughed, wiping the spilled engex off his chin. “NO! No way in hell! No way in any hell of any religion! EVER!” 

“Why not?” Velocity shrugged. “He’s a good friend of mine and I know for a fact that he totally adores you. I mean, we’re talking borderline worship. You could do a lot worse, you know.” 

“I'm not sure how,” Rodimus grumbled. “I mean, he’s perfect!” 

“And that’s bad because...?” Nautica asked. 

Rodimus jerked his head back like someone flicked his nose, checks flushing bright pink. “It’s bad because... because... I mean, I’m... not...” He stuttered and trailed off, staring into what was left of his swirling violet drink. 

“Aww! Come on!” Nautica grabbed his shoulders and jostled him around. “Nobody’s perfect!” 

“I wonder who they’re talking about,” Rewind whispered as he slouched closer to Chromedome. 

Chromedome, who had been scanning the room since they started eavesdropping, nodded over his shoulder to the booth far in the corner. Thunderclash sat by himself at a table that was comically undersized for his large frame, oblivious to the ice slowly melting in his untouched drink. In fact, he seemed oblivious to everything in the bar. He propped his head up on one hand with a dreamy smile plastered on his face, completely content to simply exist in the same space as Rodimus. 

“No way!” Rewind giggled. 

“What do you think?” Chromedome asked, a familiar glint shining in his golden visor. 

Rewind cracked his knuckles, “I think we have our work cut out for us!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as i did writing it!
> 
> I always love getting you kudos and comments!!


	3. Rodiclash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chromedome and Rewind take on their toughest challenge yet: giving Rodimus the opportunity to get to know Thunderclash!
> 
> Unfortunately, even they are not immune to the effortless charm of the universes most swoon-worthy autobot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this fic as a short experiment to write characters that I haven't featured before. Things quickly spiraled out of control and this kinda took on a life of it's own. It's been a wild ride and lots of fun!
> 
> Perhaps the biggest surprise of all is that I managed to hold off writing Rodiclash until chapter 3!

“I can do this,” Chromedome muttered to himself as he peered around the corner again. Thunderclash was still seated by the large bay window all by himself, pensively watching the universe swirl past. Of course, he drew the short straw again. He was really starting to think that Rewind is secretly setting him up. It seemed logical when they discussed it. After all, Chromedome usually didn’t go for the large frame types and Rewind already confessed that he would likely turn into puddle of goo in the presence of the hottest autobot of all time. But still, there was something about Thunderclash. He vented deeply, steeled himself and strolled towards Thunderclash as nonchalantly as possible. 

“Hey there, Thunders,” he waved as he approached. 

“Oh!” Thunderclash offered a genuine smile so warm and a handshake so gentle, that it took all of Chromedome’s willpower to keep from melting on the spot. “Chromedome, right? How are you?” 

“Fine, thanks,” Chromedome replied. “I’m surprised you knew my name. We haven’t actually been properly introduced yet.” 

“Oops! Sorry about that,” Thunderclash blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his helm. “With my history of spark trouble, my memory’s not the best. Everyone seems to know my name so I always make a point to study the roster of whatever vessel I’m serving on. Even though Rodimus gave me a new lease on life, I don’t want to take any chances so I’ve already read up on the Lost Light’s crew. Since this is our first meeting, allow me to say that I am very pleased to meet you!” 

“Likewise,” Chromedome smiled as warmth spread through all his circuits. Thunderclash’s earnest sincerity had the unique ability to make anyone feel extraordinary. He shook his head and tried to focus. If he just floundered through this conversation like some lovestruck sparkling, Rewind would never let him live it down. 

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Chromedome continued tentatively. “Is something bothering you? You just looked a little lost, sitting here all alone.” 

“Very perceptive,” Thunderclash nodded. “I would expect nothing less from a mnemosurgeon of your caliber. The truth is, there’s a lot on my mind right now, and I would really just like to go for a drive. On the Vis Vitale, the hallways were large enough to accommodate my alt mode, even though most times I couldn’t muster enough energy to transform. Now, with my spark finally stable, I feel like I could transform, but these corners are too tight for me.” 

“Is that all?” Chromedome gathered his self-control and laid a supportive hand on Thunder’s broad shoulder. “No worries, big bot! The lowest deck of the ship was converted into an extra-large raceway.” 

“Really?” Thunderclash lit up like the stars shining outside the window. 

“Sure! Didn’t Swerve cover that on his tour of the Lost Light?” 

“Hmm...” Thunderclash pondered. “I don’t recall, but that’s not unusual. Although the tour was rather short and really only covered the distance from the main living quarters to his bar.” 

“Sounds like Swerve,” Chromedome shook his head. “The raceway is easy to find. All you have to do is-” 

“Actually,” Thunderclash cut him off with a sheepish grin. “Could you show me the way? If you’re not too busy of course! I don’t want to impose, but I am just terrible with directions. I would greatly appreciate it!” 

“No problem,” Chromedome shrugged. There’s no way he could have said “no” to that face, even if he didn’t have the time. “Follow me!” 

As they slowly made their way through the corridors and stairways down to the impromptu race track, the conversation eventually turned to Rodimus. By the time they arrived at the empty hallway that skirted the hull of the ship, Chromedome felt like he might be falling for their fiery co-captain as well. 

“Here we are,” Chromedome waved towards the empty hall, his voice echoing down the expanse. “The Lost Light is fifteen miles long by ten miles wide and this track makes a circuit of the entire perimeter. If you keep making right turns, you’ll end up right back here, so you shouldn’t get lost. There is another staircase on the far end that conveniently leads directly up to Swerve’s. As you can see,” he gestured to the black tire marks on the floor and various colors of paint scrapes that decorated the walls, “this area is open to anyone who wants to use it. I don’t hear any revving engines right now, so it’s all yours!” 

“Oh wow!” Thunderclash beamed like Chromedome had just given him everything he ever wanted out of life. “This is perfect! Thank you so much!” He whirled around, arms open wide as if to hug Chromedome in excitement, but stopped himself short. “May I?” 

The genuine concern shining in Thunderclash’s magenta optics dissolved the last of Chromedome’s willpower. He had no doubt that if he told him “no” Thunders would just nod and be on his way, but he couldn’t pass up a chance to experience a Thunderclash hug. Rewind would be so jealous! “Yes, you may,” Chromedome replied. 

As soon as he received permission, Thunderclash wrapped Chromedome in a hug so warm, Chromedome felt his engine slip into an easy contented purr. He wondered if this is what Rewind felt like when he picked him up. He couldn’t wait to get the chance to get his arms around him again. 

“Thank you so much for your concern about me and especially for taking the time to show me how to get here. I truly appreciate it!” Thunderclash released Chromedome with a smile. He transformed into his massive assault vehicle alt mode and happily rumbled off down the raceway. 

Chromedome folded his arms, leaned one shoulder against the doorway, and watched as Thunderclash disappeared into the distance. Suddenly he felt an elbow nudging his side. 

“Hate to see him go, but love to watch him leave, eh?” Rewind snickered. 

“It’s not like that!” Chromedome protested. 

“Are you sure? Because that’s a pretty impressive set of tail lights,” Rewind fanned himself. 

“Now you’re just being absurd- Hey!” 

Before he could finish, Rewind threw himself at Chromedome knocking him down, away from the entrance to the race track. They landed in a tangled heap just out of view. The sound of a revving engine and screaming tires echoed down the elevator shaft. As soon as the elevator doors opened, a red and gold speedster flew out, trailed by billowing white smoke. 

“Was that Rodimus? Did he just do a burnout?? Out of the elevator???” 

Rewind nodded enthusiastically. 

“What did you do to him?” 

“Some of my finest work! I got Megatron to help me prank him. We wired the control console on the bridge with a remote power switch. I turned it off whenever Rodimus tried to do something and switched it back on whenever Megatron touched it. He couldn’t get anything to work! He eventually got so frustrated that he stormed out. I knew he’d come straight here.” 

“Wait? You got MEGATRON to help you with a prank? THE Megatron? Lord of the Decepticons?” 

“Apparently, even tyrannical warlords love a good prank now and again,” Rewind shrugged. “Of course, I may have also bribed him with a copy of “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” the new single from the Backstreet Boys.” 

“I can’t imagine WHY he’d want that?” Chromedome laughed, mischief shining in his gold visor. 

“Oh, I don’t know... I can think of one very big, very blue reason,” Rewind giggled. “Or perhaps it’s a very small, very green reason, depending on how you look at it!” 

Chromedome laughed and wrapped Rewind in a hug that he hoped felt as good as the one Thunderclash just gave him. 

“Aww!” Rewind snuggled in closer. “What’s this all about.” 

“Just thinking about how much I love you,” Chromedome nuzzled his helm against Rewind’s. He felt Rewind’s engine start to purr and his own slowed to match the contented rhythm. Hugging Thunderclash felt really nice, but could never compare to cuddling with Rewind. 

The distant squeal of overworked tires followed by the sickening crunch of rending metal jolted them out of their mutual reverie. 

“Oh no!” Chromedome sat bolt upright, rolling Rewind off his chest. “If Rodimus hurt that big beautiful technicolor dreamboat, I’ll never forgive myself.” 

“Oh, Primus!” Rewind sprawled across the floor but already had his datapad out hacking into the security cameras. “It seemed like a good idea at the time. They both like driving, let’s get them alone on the race track. That didn’t sound like the kind of sparks we were hoping would fly.” He quickly switched between cameras until he found the accident, and vented a sigh of relief. “You can relax, Domey. Rodders just put himself into the wall, again. Although, it looks like Thunderclash is coming to investigate so this setup might work out after all.” 

Rewind settled himself comfortably on Chromedome’s lap, holding up his datapad showing the live camera feed so that they could both watch. From the swooping black streak of skid marks, Rodimus must have clipped the corner going way too fast and spun out, slamming into the opposite wall. Chromedome winced at the way his rear fender stuck out at an unnatural angle. 

“Fuck my life,” Rodimus grumbled as he noticed Thunderclash’s massive alt mode rumbling towards him. 

“What’s that supposed mean?” Chromedome asked when Rewind bust out laughing. 

“It’s an earth swear,” Rewind giggled. “Basically, it means “just my luck” in the most brutally sarcastic way possible.” 

“You have a problem, you know that. But, I guess there’s worse things to collect than profanity,” Chromedome shook his head. “Do you think we should go help them?” 

“Shh! Don’t make me bust out one of the Old Cybertronian swears I learned from Cyclonus, it’s like ten minutes long,” Rewind elbowed him. “Let’s see how this plays out a little first. I promise we’ll intervene if it looks like things are gonna go south.” 

“Rodimus!” Thunderclash transformed and rushed to kneel down beside the scuffed-up race car. “Stars in heaven! You’re hurt!” 

“Yeah, yeah!” Rodimus sighed. His transformation cog started to spin then ground to halt with a crunch. “Ow! I guess I’m stuck in my alt mode again until I get this fender fixed. If you call Ratchet for me, I’ll prepare myself for another lecture.” 

“Umm... I picked up a lot when I helped Ratchet study for his medical exams and actually got pretty good with field repairs.” Thunderclash chewed his bottom lip, “If you want, I could realign your dislocated fender. If that’s okay with you?” 

“Really? I had no idea you had any useful skills. That would save me probably an hour’s worth of getting told off!” Rodimus wobbled closer to Thunderclash. “What do you think?” 

“May I?” Thunderclash asked before touching Rodimus. 

“Sure!” Rodimus revved his engine and sidled into position. Thunderclash gently ran his hand along the loose panel until he found the misaligned joint. 

“Good news! Nothing is broken. I just need to snap this joint back into place and you’ll be all set. You probably already know this, but you will feel some discomfort. I’ll do it on the count of three.” 

“No problem! It might be hard to believe, but I am no stranger to discomfort. Work your magic, but be gentle with me,” Rodimus nudged Thunderclash’s knees with his front bumper and his face flushed bright pink. 

“Okay,” Thunderclash coughed, focusing intently on the task at hand. “One, two...” On two, Thunderclash firmly grasped the panel, lifting it up and inwards with solid even pressure. It snapped back into placed with an audible click. 

“YEE-OUCH!” Rodimus yelped. He transformed instantly and hopped around. “WHAT THE HELL?! You said on “three”! “Two” is not “three”! What gives?” 

“I learned that trick from Lotty! She used it on me a bunch of times,” Thunderclash chuckled, still kneeling on the floor while Rodimus danced about, testing his limbs. “She said that patients always tense up right before a procedure, making realignment more difficult. So, you tell them “three,” then do it on “two” when they’re still relaxed. You’re welcome, by the way.” 

“Oh!” Rodimus whirled around, just realizing that not only was his fender properly realigned, but he had also transformed with no trouble at all. “Oh, Primus! Thanks! You really saved me! How did you get so good at this?” 

“I’ve spent a lot of time around doctors,” Thunderclash shrugged and sat back against the wall. 

Rodimus stopped checking his damaged paint work and stared at Thunderclash, “Why are you here anyways?” 

“Well, I had a lot on my mind and I just really wanted to go for a drive. So I-” 

“No, no, no! Not “here” on the race track, “here” on the Lost Light.” 

“That’s easy,” Thunderclash replied a dreamy smile spreading across his face. “Because of you!” 

“ME?!” 

“Yeah. You are so amazing! Honestly, I’d probably be dead if you hadn’t shown up when you did. You saved my life! As soon as Lotty told me I was well enough to leave the Vis Vitale behind, I never even had a second thought. There is not another place in the entire universe that I would rather be, not even Cybertopia. I would follow you anywhere.” 

Rodimus looked stunned, a slight glow brightening his face. He shook his head and slowly sat down next to Thunderclash. “I’m not though, you know. Not really. I mean, just now I got too worked up on the bridge of my own ship, stormed off, and drove into a wall. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be in the early phases on an epic multi-part lecture on responsibility versus recklessness courtesy of our chief medical officer.” 

“So what?” Thunderclash grinned, completely undeterred. “No one’s perfect.” 

“You are,” Rodimus muttered, staring at the floor. 

“Hey,” Thunderclash gently bumped his shoulder into Rodimus. “I meant what I said, no one is perfect. Not you and certainly not me. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. You are creative, and loyal, and brave, and wonderful! It’s totally okay to get upset. Would you like to talk about it? Sometimes sharing a burden can make it easier to bear.” 

“You are for real, aren’t you?” Rodimus asked quietly, narrowing his optics and looking at Thunderclash with a new appreciation. “All this is actually you. It’s not some kind of act, you’re just this way.” 

“I’m... not sure what you mean,” Thunderclash cocked his head to one side. 

“Nevermind!” Rodimus hopped to his feet in one swift motion, a bright smile lighting up his face with the return of his trademark bravado. “Come on Thunders! We’re not far from the back way to Swerve’s. I’m gonna buy you a drink and tell you my troubles. Then you’re gonna buy me a drink and explain what makes Thunderclash less than perfect.” 

“Really? You mean it?” Thunderclash stammered as he allowed Rodimus to pull him to his feet despite having a much larger frame. “I would be honored! I hope learning the truth won’t make you think any less of me.” 

“Don’t worry about that,” Rodimus replied with a wink. “My opinion of you literally could not get any lower!” 

“Excellent!” Thunderclash beamed. “Then the only way it can go is up!” 

“You have got to be kidding,” Rodimus groaned. “I guess aggressive optimism is just another of your many, many flaws.” 

“Well!” Rewind terminated the link with the security camera as Rodimus and Thunderclash burst into laughter. “That worked out okay after all! We got them talking to each other and no one died. Rodimus did hurt himself, but...” 

“You’ll have that,” Chromedome shrugged. “Especially if a race track is involved.” 

“What do you think? Umbrella drinks?” 

“Umbrella drinks!” Chromedome nodded. “Mind if we stop by Brainstorm’s lab on the way? I haven’t heard from him in a few days. I just wanna make sure he didn’t blow himself up or create another black hole. That was a pain to clean up the last time.” 

“No problem!” Rewind replied. “In fact, if you wanna make today a two-fer, I have a quick idea.” 

“Hmm… Double or nothing, how bold! Does it involve Perceptor?” 

“You know it does!” 

“What the hell! We are on a roll! Let’s do it!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> As always, I appreciate your kudos and comments!!


	4. Simpatico!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the time travel adventure, Brainstorm is spending far too much time alone in his lab. Chromedome and Rewind conspire to get him out to socialize, particularly with Perceptor. All they need to do is create a problem that needs to be solved with science!

“Stormy?” Rewind tentatively knocked on the ajar door. As the door creaked open into the darkened lab, he cautiously peeked around the edge, ready to duck out in case something exploded. “Are you in there?” 

He reached around the door frame and hopped up to hit the light switch. When the lights flickered on, illuminating the disheveled workspace, Rewind heard a muffled groan from the center of the room. 

“There you are!” he exclaimed, noticing a teal and white heap sprawled face down on the work desk surrounded by bits of incomplete projects. Rewind climbed up onto the cluttered surface and sat down next to him. 

“What are you doing here?” Brainstorm muttered. 

“Checking on you!” Rewind patted him on the back, between his wings. 

“Thanks... I guess,” Brainstorm sighed, rolling over and throwing one arm dramatically across his face to shield his optics from the sudden brightness. “Consider me “checked on.” Please feel free to turn off the lights and be on your way.” 

“You should know by now that it’s not that easy to get rid of me!” Rewind nudged him. 

“Wait a minute!” Brainstorm sat bolt upright, narrowed his optics against the light and scanned the room. “Where’s your other half? If you two aren’t together, you are up to no good.” 

“Stormy! I am shocked that you think about us that way!” Rewind grabbed his chest in mock offense. He scooted to the edge of the desk and innocently kicked his feet. “Domey is on his way. We’re going to hang out at Mirage’s place for a while. I thought you might like to join us.” 

“Isn’t it poetry night?” Brainstorm winced. “I don’t think I’m ready to face Megatron yet, after recently revealing my centuries long plan to travel through time to murder his nascent form. And I couldn’t even do that properly.” Brainstorm flopped back down on the desk. 

“Hey, now, come on. You do plenty of things properly. There is no shame in deciding to not commit murder, no matter how much planning you put into it.” 

“Don’t try to make me feel better,” Brainstorm rolled onto his side, turning his back to Rewind. “You’re the one that actually had the courage to pull the trigger.” 

“I wouldn’t call it courage,” Rewind sighed. “I didn’t plan it, and I am definitely not proud of it. I never thought I’d speak these words, but I’m really glad Whirl was there to fix things.” Rewind smiled when that got a chuckle out of Brainstorm. 

“Remind me to tell Chromedome how lucky he is.” 

“For what?” 

Brainstorm didn’t answer, but Rewind could see the edges of a smile crinkle his optics. Before Rewind could ask a follow-up question, Brainstorm’s comm system crackled to life with an incoming transmission. 

“Yo, Brainstorm! It’s your favorite co-captain!” 

“What do you need, Rodders?” Brainstorm groaned. “I’m kinda in the middle of a serious moping session. You know how it is.” 

“Is he ok? Maybe we should go check on him?” a distinctly resonant voice in the background piped up. 

“Rodders?" Brainstorm asked while Rewind giggled. “Is that THUNDERCLASH with you?” 

“Maybe... Look, I didn’t call you to get interrogated about who I choose to spend time with! We have an anonymous report of a UBC by the lecture hall and I need you to investigate.” 

“I’m sorry? A UBC?” 

“Unidentified Brief Case, obvs! Come on, you’re supposed to be the ship’s genius!" 

“Why don’t you just call Percy?” 

“Megs already did, but I’d like an answer before we all die of old age. Besides, you are the resident brief case expert.” 

“Fine!” Brainstorm huffed. “I’ll go. Call you with the results shortly. By the way, speaking as the expert here, briefcase is one word, so UBC doesn’t quite work. Brainstorm out.” He ended the call and sat up. 

“WAIT! For the love of Primus!” Rewind shouted, shaking Brainstorm by the shoulders. “Is it too late to ask Thunderclash to come check on you? Seriously, tell him you need a hug! You won’t regret it!!” 

“Sorry, I already hung up. If you want Thunderclash, I guess you’ll have to call him back yourself,” Brainstorm chuckled as he disentangled himself from Rewind. He gathered up a few tools and headed out the door. 

“I’ll tag along, if you don’t mind,” Rewind leapt off the table. “The lecture hall is close to Visages so I can just meet Domey there.” 

“Suit yourself,” Brainstorm shrugged. 

By the time they arrived on the scene, Perceptor had setup a perimeter of caution tape cordoning off the entire area around the mysterious briefcase. The small battered blue box leaned against the wall looking rather lost and forlorn amidst all the diagnostic equipment. 

“Just going on the record to say,” Brainstorm folded his arms, “That is NOT one of mine.” 

“Oh, I know!” Perceptor nodded, tapping away at several datapads. “This case features none of the trademark elegance or refinement that shines in all your work.” 

“Elegant? Really?” Brainstorm’s face began to glow slightly beneath his faceplate. “You think my designs are elegant?” 

“Absolutely!” Perceptor agreed without looking up from the masses of data scrolling across his monitors. “I think it’s one of the hallmarks of a true Brainstorm piece. All of your devices fulfill their function perfectly, but it’s that extra attention to detail that truly sets them apart.” 

“I had no idea that anyone ever noticed,” Brainstorm muttered softly, wingtips fluttering. 

“There you are!” Chromedome raced around the corner in his alt mode, transformed, instantly tripped over the caution tape and bowled Rewind over wrapping him up in a protective hug. “You’re not getting blown up without me!” 

“Relax, lovebots,” Brainstorm sighed, looking up from his own scanner. “No is getting blown up, at least not by this briefcase. Right, Percy?” 

“Well...” Perceptor read through his findings. “I’ve only run the tests three times. I’d like to do a few more to rule out any statistical anomalies. Then I’ll cross reference my original theories with this data before I can officially eliminate any hypotheses.” 

“Oh, Percy! Percy, Percy, Percy,” Brainstorm shook his head. He stepped over the caution tape and knelt down next to the offending piece of luggage. “Do you know how I was able to build a functioning time machine? Sure, I studied and tested and theorized for centuries, but at some point you have to stop. Eventually, you have to just trust your data and build the damn device.” 

He reached down and popped open the latch on the briefcase. Rewind squeaked and curled up even tighter with Chromedome on the floor, but no explosion ripped through the corridor. Perceptor’s jaw dropped in the resulting silence as he stared at the strange luminescent blue lumps carefully stacked in the bag. 

“Hey has anyone seen my-” Nightbeat popped his head around the corner, “HEY! There it is!” He hopped over the security perimeter and gathered up the case that Brainstorm just opened. 

“Nightbeat?” Rewind asked from where Chromedome still held him tucked safely against his chest. “What is that stuff?” 

“Oh? These?” Nightbeat grinned. “This is my first attempt at making energon goodies. I worked really hard on them! They didn’t turn out that great, but I’m still gonna share them with Riptide at today’s swim lesson. I think he’ll like them anyways. You know, I could have sworn I set this case down on the bar at Swerve’s when I stopped to pay my tab. Guess I must have dropped it on my way.” 

Rewind cast a sideways glance at Chromedome, who did his best not to laugh. 

“Thanks for finding my briefcase! See you all later!” Nightbeat trotted off with his case of misshapen candies, leaving a couple of stunned scientists in his wake. 

“Well!” Brainstorm put his hands on his hips. “There you go! Another problem solved by science!” 

“Hmmm... I don’t know,” Chromedome stood up and brushed off his armor. “You really didn’t DO anything.” 

“I did so!” Brainstorm whined. “I reviewed the data, evaluated the situation, and took action.” 

“Yes, yes you did,” Perceptor came to his defense. “I’ve always admired your courage. I came to the same conclusion that you did after my first scan, but-” 

“That’s because great minds think alike!” Brainstorm cut him off, practically glowing. 

“That may be the case,” Preceptor smiled, “but your tenacious boldness has always inspired me. You have the ability to act on your hypotheses in a way that is incredibly difficult for me. You are absolutely right, you know. Eventually, you have to trust your data and make a damn decision.” Perceptor reached out and took both of Brainstorm’s hands in his own. 

“Percy?” Brainstorm’s face flushed beneath his faceplate. “What are you doing?” 

“Something that I’ve thought about for a long time, mulling over every possible outcome again and again,” a slight blush began to light up Perceptor’s cheeks as he dropped to one knee. “Something that I’ve longed to ask you for ages.” 

“Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh!” Brainstorm bounced, wings twitching. “Is this actually happening???” 

“Brainstorm?” Perceptor looked up, hope sparkling in his one blue optic not obscured by his ever-present reticle. 

“Percy?” 

“Will you be my lab partner?” 

“YES! YES!! Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes!” Brainstorm pulled Preceptor to his feet, hugged him tightly then transformed and flew down the hall. In a rare display of unguarded emotion, Perceptor burst into laughter as Brainstorm streaked past in jet mode again, nearly knocking him over with his downdraft. 

“I’d give him at least three more laps,” Chromedome yelled over the scream of jet engines echoing through the hallways. 

Perceptor nodded and sat down with a broad smile on his face waiting for Brainstorm’s jubilant excitement to run its course. Chromedome and Rewind ducked and waved their goodbyes after nearly being blown away by another pass of the extremely enthusiastic low flying jet. 

Once they put some distance between them and the pair of ecstatic scientists, Rewind elbowed Chromedome, “So, swiped Nightbeat's briefcase, did you?” 

“I prefer to say that I temporarily relocated it,” Chromedome answered, gold visor bright with mischief. “And I even sent the anonymous suspicious briefcase report to our co-captains! Thanks for trying to get Brainstorm, but I figured he wouldn’t leave his lab for anything less than captain’s orders.” 

“So, the bit about being blown up-” 

“Was just an example of my excellent acting skills!” Chromedome took a slight bow. “Speaking of skills, I’m not sure about Nightbeat’s attempt at making energon goodies. They looked pretty rough. Maybe you should offer to give him some lessons.” 

“Aww! That’s mean!” Rewind chided. “You’re just spoiled by my awesome confectionary prowess! He said he worked really hard. They might look a little suspect, but hopefully they still taste good. However, if he asks, I could totally give him a few pointers.” 

“Nightbeat’s candies aside, that worked out even better than expected.” 

“Sure did!” Rewind nodded. “Even better than that time we bet Jackpot twenty-five shanix that he wouldn’t go say “hi” to Mainframe. Now you never see one without the other.” 

“That was the only bet that I ever planned to lose,” Chromedome laughed. “I never thought Perceptor would go and ask Brainstorm to be his lab partner though. Judging from Stormy’s reaction, that must be a pretty big deal among scientists.” 

“They both seem pretty happy about it! Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever heard Percy laugh before. I hope the Lost Light can handle whatever those two cook up together!” 

“I never considered the possible mad science that might result! We may have created a monster!” 

Rewind stopped to stretch then leaned on Chromedome. “I know we were gonna hit up poetry night, but after all the excitement I’m really tired.” 

“Me too,” Chromedome stooped down to lift Rewind up on to his shoulders. “What to do say we call it a night and head home? I have it on good authority that Swerve is planning another karaoke night tomorrow.” 

“Ooo! Maybe we can get Riptide to smuggle us in and we can finally listen to Mags sing!” 

“Sounds perfect! Let’s make it a date!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> As per usual, I always love getting your kudos and comments!


	5. CDRW Date Night!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally taking some time for themselves, Chromedome and Rewind make a date to sneak into Swerve's after hours in hopes of hearing Ultra Magnus sing. An unexpected turn of events leads to the best date night of all time!!

"I know it’s late, but I thought we’d see a few bots out and about,” Rewind yawned as he and Chromedome moseyed down the quiet hallway on their way to Swerve’s. 

“Yeah, I figured we’d at least run into Trailcutter and Hoist. They are usually stay all the way until last call. Swerve even has to walk them home sometimes. I heard that they always lock themselves out so they gave him a spare key to their hab suite,” Chromedome chuckled. 

“Riptide said to come at this time,” Rewind shrugged. “I guess we’ll see what happens.” 

“Hopefully what happens is we get to listen to Ultra Magnus sing some Backstreet Boys,” Chromedome grinned. 

“Aw yeah!” Rewind nodded. “Want to hear my secret fantasy?” 

“You’re gonna tell me anyway, even if I say “no”.” 

“You know it! Anyways, is it too much to hope that Megs will sing a duet with him?” 

“Oh Primus! Now you’ve gone too far!” Chromedome laughed. 

“I’m just saying!” Rewind waved his arms. “It’s our date night! They could do something extra special.” 

“Okay! It’s official!” Chromedome shook his head. “You are officially too much!” 

“And you love it!” 

“I love YOU!” Chromedome reached down and scooped up Rewind into a warm hug just as they neared the main entrance to Swerve’s. 

“You are such a romantic dope!” Rewind giggled as he nuzzled Chromedome’s neck. 

Just as Chromedome raised his fist to knock, the door slid open and Riptide poked his head out, quickly scanning up and down the hall. 

“The coast is still clear!” Riptide whispered. “Hurry up! Get in here!” He ushered them in and checked the hall once more before closing the door. 

Once they ducked in, Chromedome and Rewind stopped short. Every piece of furniture in the bar was covered completely with enormous white drop clothes. In fact, there seemed to be more drop clothes than there usually was furniture. 

“What is going on in here?” Rewind asked, looking around suspiciously. 

“Umm...” Riptide cast a nervous glance around the room, locking optics with Swerve who was still fiddling with the karaoke machine. 

“Cleaning.” “Painting.” They both offered different answers simultaneously. Riptide winced and Swerve shook his head and they both answered again, this time swapping answers, “Painting.” “Cleaning.” 

Swerve sauntered over towards Chromedome and Rewind, elbowing Riptide in the knee on his way. 

“We are definitely having some painting done,” Swerve explained as Riptide hopped around holding on to his knee. “Yep! That’s it! Just a bit of the old routine maintenance! Nothing unusual about that!” 

Not convinced, Rewind put his hands on his hips and narrowed his optics. He was just about to protest when they all froze, hearing the distinct heavy tread of the former Duly Appointed Enforcer of the Tyrest Accord, and the Backstreet Boys’ biggest fan, resounding down the hall. 

“Oh scrap!” Riptide gasped. “Quick! Quick! Quick! HIDE!” He unceremoniously shoved Chromedome and Rewind under the nearest table and threw another drop cloth over them. They stared at each other, not a little confused with their unexpected circumstances. A few seconds later, Swerve peeked under the cloth with a pint of engex for each of them. 

“I’ll just put these on your tab,” he winked and then went to meet Magnus. 

“That was definitely Swerve,” Chromedome giggled as he shifted his large frame to fit comfortably into their cramped hiding place. 

“Yeah,” Rewind leaned back against Chromedome’s chest, narrowing his optics, “but something is not quite right.” 

“Said the bot whose dream date night involves sneaking into a bar after closing time and sipping drinks under a table in the hopes of eavesdropping on a secret duet between a justice-obsessed law enforcer and a repentant tyrannical warlord.” 

“When you put it that way,” Rewind snorted, “It sounds ridiculous. We both know incredibly awesome is a way more accurate description! Cheers!” 

“Cheers!” 

They cuddled and listened to Swerve welcome Mags. When Riptide asked if Mags would have his usual weak energon spritzer he responded, “Better make it two.” A few seconds later the door opened again and they peered out of their hiding place to see Megatron walk in. 

“I didn’t even hear him coming,” Rewind whispered. “How can a bot that big be that quiet.” 

“Shhh!” Chromedome hissed. “You’re gonna get us busted!” 

Chromedome and Rewind patiently sipped their drinks while Ultra Magnus and Megatron chatted. After a little quiet conversation, Ultra Magnus called to Swerve, “Is the karaoke machine working tonight?” 

“Kept it warm just for you!” came Swerve’s chipper reply. 

“Please, play “In a World Like This” by the Backstreet Boys,” Ultra Magnus requested. “I think that’s the perfect song for tonight.” 

“You got it, sir!” Riptide chirped. 

As the music started, Rewind gripped onto Chromedome, “Oh Primus! It’s happening!!” 

Ultra Magnus started singing along with his favorite boy band, melodious voice perfectly in pitch with the music. 

“Wow...” Chromedome sighed with no small amount of reverence. “He is really good!” 

When the chorus began, a second voice joined in, much lower and rougher. The perfect rumbling bass to Magnus’ clear tenor. 

“Oh my god!” Rewind shook Chromedome by the shoulders. “It’s MEGATRON!! They are singing together! It’s even better than my wildest dreams! I can’t believe it!” 

It took all of Chromedome’s willpower, along with a healthy dose of the fear of discovery to keep from busting out into laughter. “Just listen!” Chromedome nudged him. “They sound so good together!” 

“If Thunderclash walked in that door right now and hugged me, I could die totally happy. There would be literally nothing left for me to accomplish on this earthly plane!” 

“It sounds like someone has reached the excessively dramatic phase of their pint of engex.” 

“Easy for you to say,” Rewind giggled. “You already got a Thunderclash hug!” 

They settled in and listened to Ultra Magnus and Megatron sing, blissfully lost in the melody. Their voices rose and fell together like an audible dance. Although not all the notes were flawless, the underlying soulfulness carried the performance. As the song ended, they trailed off the final lyric in harmony, “In a world like this, I’ve got you...” 

It was so beautiful that Rewind lost all sense of composure and burst into applause. For a split second, Chromedome froze. Then, cover already blown, he downed the rest of his engex in one gulp and joined his conjunx in a round of heartfelt cheering from their hiding place. To their boundless confusion, jubilant applause erupted from the entire room. 

They crawled out from under the table together and looked around stunned. Gradually all the “furniture” around the room threw off their drop clothes to reveal most of the crew. Ultra Magnus looked rather pleased, even if his face glowed bright pink. Megatron hid his blushing face behind one hand while he kept the other firmly planted on Magnus’ shoulder for support. 

“SURPRISE!!” Everyone yelled at once. Chromedome and Rewind just stared, first at each other, then at everyone else. 

“What is going on?!” Rewind asked. 

“I hope you enjoyed the song,” Megatron grumbled, still not ready to meet anybody’s optics. “I only agreed because Thunderclash asked so nicely.” 

They looked over to the corner of the room where Thunderclash still struggled to disentangle himself from his disguise. He offered a friendly wave and a lopsided grin radiating with effortless charm. 

“It was amazing, but why would-” Chromedome started. 

“Because I asked him to ask!” Rodimus appeared from beneath the same drop cloth and threw the rest of the cover off of his larger companion with a flourish. “I knew you would love it! You’re welcome!” He added with a flamboyant bow. 

“That still doesn’t explain-” 

“Oh, come on!” Nautica laughed. “We all wanted to do something to thank you two. A party for your date night seemed like the best way to get everyone involved.” 

“Thank us?” Chromedome asked, perplexed. “For what?” 

“Are you serious?” Velocity chuckled as she wrapped one arm around Nautica’s waist. “Everyone knows what you’ve been up to.” 

“Us?” Rewind feigned innocence with an exaggerated shrug. “We are never up to anything!” 

“Please!” Nautica scoffed. “You helped everyone in this room form or renew relationships. I figured it out a while ago. You see,” she continued, leaning into Velocity’s embrace, “Lotty and I were rather close back on Caminus, but-” 

“We went our separate ways and lost touch,” Velocity picked up where Nautica left off. “Even when I joined the Lost Light, I kept meaning to get together with her to catch up, but never seemed to find the time until a few weeks ago.” 

“When Ratchet ordered everyone to report in for a routine wellness exam, we both were stuck in the waiting room together for hours. We got to talking and I couldn’t believe how much I missed her,” Nautica smiled. “As we made a date to meet later that night for a drink, I remarked that it was really lucky we got to spend that time together. After all, I was only there because Chromedome asked if I could switch my originally scheduled time with his.” 

“And Rewind asked me to switch MY appointment time,” Velocity tilted her head. “Strange coincidence, right?” 

The rest of the room burst into boisterous laughter. 

“I found that a lot of bots had similar stories, as I chatted with different crew members. Which had nothing to do with gathering materials for the Lost Light Insider,” Nautica quickly ran through that last detail. “It’s not like I contribute articles or anything,” she coughed. 

“Oh!” Brainstorm jumped up. “That reminds me! We made something for you!” He hopped over the table and presented them with a small highly polished violet box. 

“Brainstorm WAIT!” Perceptor rushed to his side. “I thought we agreed to test it first. At least once.” 

“I guess we did, but...” 

“Please, for the sake of science,” Perceptor pleaded, gripping his forearm. 

“Ooo!” Brainstorm shivered. “I love it when you talk science to me! Don’t worry lovebots! Once we test this thing, you will be so amazed! It’s gonna blow your bolts off!” 

“Actually,” Chromedome wrapped one arm protectively around Rewind, “Now I’m just concerned.” 

“Nevermind them!” Nightbeat and Riptide pushed their way towards the middle of the room with the battered blue case in tow. “We made something for you too!” 

“Aww! You really shouldn’t have!” Chromedome groaned as Rewind elbowed him as discreetly as possible. 

“We worked on these together,” Riptide beamed. He opened the case to reveal a delectable assortment of energon goodies in almost every color. They had straighter edges and more luminescent sheen than Nightbeat’s previous solo attempt at candy making. 

“That was really sweet of you two!” Rewind accepted the case. “I can’t help but notice that there are no blue ones.” 

“Yeah,” Riptide giggled, “We might have eaten all those ones ourselves.” 

“Thank you so much, everyone!” Rewind gushed. “We really appreciate everything you all did for us!” 

Chromedome noticed a sly gleam shining in Rewind’s blue visor, “What are you up to?” he whispered. 

Ignoring Chromedome entirely, Rewind continued to babble on, “It’s all just so incredible! I am simply overcome with emotions right now!” 

“I don’t believe you!” Chromedome gasped, finally guessing his plan. “You are incorrigible!” 

“You all are so amazing!” Rewind stammered, fanning himself with both hands. 

“Aww!” Thunderclash smiled. “Do you need a hug?” 

“YES!” Rewind nodded enthusiastically. “YES!! YES, THAT is exactly what I need!! I think Domey and I both could use a hug!” 

Rewind snuggled against Chromedome’s chest as Thunderclash gathered them both into his enormous arms and wrapped them up in a warm hug. 

“Wow!” Rewind sighed, reveling in the steady contented rhythm of Thunderclash’s massive engine. “You do give the best hugs!” 

“Let me get in on this!” Rodimus shouted, throwing himself over Thunderclash’s shoulder. “Come on, everyone! Bring it in! Group hug!!” 

Laughter broke out across the room again as everyone joined in on the ridiculous pile with Chromedome and Rewind at the center. Tailgate dragged a reluctant Cyclonus along while Whirl threw a startled First Aid over Thunderclash’s other shoulder. Swerve tried to escape, but Skids pulled him right back in. Leaning away from the rambunctious carousing, Ultra Magnus and Megatron were content to watch from their spot in the corner of the room, fingers entwined, with Ravage curled up at their feet. 

Jostling around in the exuberant mosh pit, in between bouts of uncontrollable giggling, Rewind locked optics with Chromedome, “You know, Domey, I don’t say it enough, but I love you!” 

Chromedome laughed and shoved Rodimus’ elbow out of the way so he could lean his helm close to Rewind, “I love you, too!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for joining me on this unexpected series. It was a blast to write!
> 
> As always, I love getting your kudos and comments! Even once the fic gets a little older, I still check my inbox all the time!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!!
> 
> As always I love getting your kudos and comments give me life!


End file.
